A pair of bungling burglars gave police plenty to go on after leaving a trail of discarded scratchcards they had stolen.

The two balaclava-clad men took several bottles of champagne from a Co-op store in Henderson Drive, Dartford, and cleared tills of around £270. But it was the theft of £100-worth of scratchcards that gave officers a good clue which direction they fled after a number were found close to the store on Joyce Green Lane.

Kent Police believe the pair were scratching the tickets and tossing them aside after they robbed the store. The store’s 63-year-old manager was left “very shaken” after she was knocked to the ground during the raid.

One of the men was wearing a high visibility jacket with his face covered. No arrests have been made as yet and police are appealing for help.

"This was an unusual robbery with a clear element of planning as the suspects seemed to be aware of store opening times and entry methods used by staff," DC Angela Costin told Yahoo! News.

"The trail of used scratchcards has provided us with some valuable evidence in that we are aware of the direction of travel the suspects used as they left the scene but we are still unsure if they travelled on foot or got into a waiting car.

"The suspects also had a large white or grey sack which they used to carry the stolen goods."

If you have any information call Kent Police on 101 or you can ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.